Long, long ago was a girl that was walking into the woods one night, all of a
sudden she heard a cackle. She saw a small house that was all black with an angel
and a fierce statue of a dragon on the outside of it. The girl knocked on the door
and in a sweet and gentle voice said, "Hello, is any one there?"

No one answered. She tried the doorknob to see if it would open the door. At
once the door flung open and scared the girl half to death.

She walked inside practically on her knees for fearing that she might hurt her head
because the house was so terribly small in height.

"Hellloooo?" the girl asked again. "Is anyone there? I lost my way in the woods
and, and . . . There is someone here, isn't there? I hear you!" the girl shouted
backing towards the windows.

An old lady that was a no taller than the 6 year old, spoke out, "Yes, child, it is I."
The lady was wearing a black robe with a hood at the back. She had long, and
ugly type fingers with drooping skin coming from her eyes. Her ears were huge
with fur all over them. It had looked like she had black furry arms that went down
to her wrist and then suddenly stopped. The old lady was silent as the girl stared.

"What is your name child, don't just stand there doing nothing, and thinking about
. . ." there was a pause as the old lady thought, ". . . about how I look."

The girl tried not to look terrified by thinking how the lady knew what she was
thinking. The girl felts so weak and about to crash that she just quickly answered
the questions clearly. "My name is Julia!"

"Oh, Julia, what a nice name!" The old lady said walking away to a gigantic pot
that was bubbling. "You're hungry dear, sit down. Have some soup!"

"Oh, well okay. Thank you, thank you very, very much. I am starving!"

"I know dear," said the old lady with a shrieked up voice.

"What's your name?" Julia mumbled with her mouth full, like a little angel.

The lady suddenly screamed while still stirring the pot. She had her back to Julia,
and out of the blue she screamed, "It's funny you should ask dear, cause I, ain't
GOT ONE!" As her worlds came out she turned around and became a shriveled
up old ogre with another part of her body looking like an animal's part. Now she
had arms, legs and teeth all from different animals.

"What's going on!" Julia shouted. Julia was only five years old and had no clue
what on earth was going on.

"See what you made me do, you stupid fool," mumbled the lady. "Great, one less
year to live and another part gone!" said the old lady to her self. "Why oh why did
this have to happen to me?"

"What? I can probably help you if you give me a try."

"Well, I have nothing else to do so I think I will tell you, this is how it all started .
. . and I wished I could read minds. For each time I read someone's mind the man
with the black face that wasn't visible said he could give me the power, but I
would have to give up a part of my body each twentieth time I used my powers.
So I agreed that I would get the power in exchange for a part of my body. That
day, I turned into an old, crippled, dark, wrinkled and self-centered person. I
didn't fallow what I had been planing on, just using my powers when I desperately
needed it and a few times in a long time. So as a result, this is what happened."
The lady showed her arms, legs and teeth.

"What was your name?"

"My name was , , ," there was a silence, ". . . was, Au-ro-ra," she whispered but
loud enough to be heard by Julia.

"So, all my life has been spent here in this hut, I haven't seen another human being
in a century."

"Really?" asked Julia in amazement.

"No, I was only exaggerating."

"What's exaggerating?" Julia asked confused.

Aurora smiled and nodded, then said, "Exaggerating means when you take the
truth and you stretch it. That's exaggerating."

"How old are you?" Julia questioned again.

"Well, how old do you think I am?"

"I think you are 256 years old." Julia giggled knowing what she had just said.

"Really, I look that old? Well, actually I am 28. I had done that silly wish when I
was 15 years old. So you can say I have lived half my life away from the rest of
the world."

"Wow! That's a long time." Then Julia gazed off and had the saddest face on.

"What's the matter dear?" asked Aurora.

"Well, my mommy said she would never leave me! She even promised! But this
guy said that she went up there." Julia pointed up to the sky meaning heaven. She
had tears pouring out like she had just been crying a while back.

Aurora put her arm sacredly around Julia and wiped her face with the other.
"There, there, don't you cry, you will stay right here with me."

"Really?"

"Yes, really!"

"May I call you . . . Mom?" Julia said with tears running less and less as Aurora
eyes started watering.

"Yes, yes you may, go to sleep now, and I will watch over you."

"Mom, will you be here in the morning?"

"Yes, my child, yes!" Aurora started humming to the song and then words came
out . . .